Mechanism for operating boiler-tube cleaners.



No. 638,630. Patented Dec. 5, I899. W. D. FORSYTH & E. T. BELL.

MECHANISM FOR OPERATING BOILER TUBE CLEANERS.

(Application fllud Aug. 23, 1899.) (No Model.) 3 Shasta-Sheet l.

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No. 638,630. Patented Dec. 5,1899. W. D. FORSYTH & E. T. BELL.

MECHANISM OPERATING BOILER TUBE CLEANERS.

Application filed Aug. 23, 189 No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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No. 638,630. v 4 Patented I'm.- 5, I899. w. u. ronsvma E. T. BELL.

MECHANISM FOR OPERATING BOILER TUBE CLEANERS.

(Applicatiqn filed Aug. 98, 1899.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

XVILBER D. FORSYTH AND EN OS T. BELL, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO THE UNION BOILER TUBE CLEANER COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

MECHANISM FOR OPERATING BOILER-TUBE CLEANERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 638,630, dated December 5, 1899.

Application filed Augtfst23,1899- Serial No. 722,179. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WILBER D. FORSYTH and ENOS T. BELL, citizens of .the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Mechanism for Operating Boiler- Tube Cleaners; and we do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a side elevation of my invention shown as applied to a Hazelton boiler. Fig. 2 is a plan view of same,

and Fig. 3 illustrates the means for moving the carrier upon the-rod s. Fig. 4.is a side elevation of the invention, the stirrup and shaft 8 being shown in section and the flexible 2o shaft broken away.

This invention is designed to providemechanism. of improved character for operating boiler-tube cleaners, and is especially designed to provide mechanism adapted for use in boilers having radiating closed-end tubes, such as the Hazelton, or curved tubes, such as are used in the Climax boilers.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as is here- 0 inafter described, and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which we have illustrated our invention as applied as in use to a Hazelton boiler, the

3 5 letter A designates the boiler-drum, B the closed-end tubes to be cleaned, and C the manhole of the drum, through which the driving belt or rope is carried, as hereinafter described.

0 1 designates a vertical guide-rod supported within the drum A at its upper and lower end portions by means of radial screw-jack rods 2 and 3 and bearing against the drum-walls. The jacks 3 are preferably forked, as shown.

4 designates a carrier which is arranged to move vertically on the rod 1, on which it is held from turning by means of a spline or feather 6, which engages a keyway 7 in the rod. This carrier forms a bearing for a short shaft or journal 8 at right angles to said rod. On one end of said shaft or journal is fixed a sheave-pulley 9, provided with a guard 10, secured to the-carrier 4, and which also forms an outer bearing for the shaft or journal. On the opposite end of the shaft or journal is a bevel gear-wheel 11, which meshes with a bevel-pinion 12. The pinion 12 is supported bya stirrup 13, which is pivotally swung from the shaft or journal. Connected to this bevelpinion is a flexible shaft let of suitable size and length for the work required and to the opposite end of which is connected a suitable cleaner-head Z. For boilers of the type shown this head may be of the character described and claimed in our Patent No. 568,247, dated September 22, 1896, with the addition of a rounded nose-piece 16 in lieu of the coneshaped nose shown in the patent. This nose is' provided with toothed cutters 17, and its purpose is to clean the closed outer ends of the tubes.

For the purpose of moving the carrier on the rod 1 a sprocket-chain 18 is provided. The ends of this chain are connected to the carrier 4,and it is passed over sprocket-wheels 19 and 20, respectively, above and below the carrier. These wheels are journaled in arms or brackets 21, secured to the rod 1, and one of' them (the upper one in the present instance) has its shaft or axle provided with an operating-crank 22.

22 is a pawl-and-ratchet device for securing said shaft or axle.

24 designates the driving-rope, which enters the manhole C and passes under a guide sheave or pulley 25, thence passing up and around the sheave-pulley 9, thence down and under a guide or sheave pulley 26, and thence out through the manhole. 27 represents a drivingpulley for said rope, 28 and 29 two guide-pulleys therefor, and 29 a slack pulley, the latter being some distance above the pulleys 28 and 29. The two pulleys 25 and 26 are loosely mounted on a fixed shaft 30, which is diametrically supported within the drum by means of screw-bearings 31 at its ends. This arrangement of pulleys outside the drum is a very convenient one; but, strictly speak= ing, it forms no necessary part of our invention, as various arrangements for driving and guiding said rope may be made, and different arrangements are necessary in different boiler-rooms, &c.

In use the operator takes hold of the flexible shaft and thrusts the head into one of the tubes to be cleaned. When that tube is cleaned, the head is withdrawn and inserted into an adjacent tube. In this manner all the tubes which can be reached from agiven adjustment of the carrier on the rod 1 are successively cleaned. The carrier is then moved to a new position on the rod 1. It will be observed that the stirrup 13 permits the flexible shaft and head to be carried either to the right or left ofthe rod 1 and either above or below the carrier without disturbing the driving connection between the gears 11 and 12. k

\Vhen the device is used in a boiler of the Climax type, which has curved tubes, we use in lieu of the head Z ajointed head, such as is described and claimed in our Patent No. 617,327, dated January 10, 1899.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In boiler-tube-cleaning mechanism of the class described, the combination of a guide-rod, means for supporting and centering the same in vertical position in a boilerdrum, a carrier mounted on said rod to move vertically, a shaft journaled to said carrier, a flexible shaft geared to said first-named shaft andcarryingatube-cleaning head, and means for driving the first-named shaft, substantially as specified.

2. In boiler-tube-cleaning mechanism of the class described, the combination of a guide-rod, means for supporting the same in vertical position in a boiler-drum, a verticallymovable carrier mounted on said rod, a shaft journaled in said carrier, means for driving said shaft, means for vertically adjusting said carrier and a flexible tool carrying shaft geared to the first-named shaft, substantially -as specified.

said shaft, a bevel-pinion mounted in said stirrup and meshing with said gear-wheel, and a flexible tool-carrying shaft connected to said pinion, substantially as specified.

4:. In boiler-tube-cleaning mechanism of the character described, the combination of a vertical guide-rod, the radial jacks for supporting the same in vertical position in the drum of a boiler, the carrier mounted to slide on said shaft, the shaft or journal mounted on said carrier, means for driving said shaft or journal, a tool carrying shaft coupled thereto, the brackets on the guide-rod above and below the carrier, the sprocket-wheels journaled to said brackets, and a sprocket chain passing over said wheels and connected at its ends to the said carrier, substantially as specified.

5. In boiler-tube-cleaning mechanism, the combination of a guide-rod, the radial jacks for supporting the same, the carrier mounted on said rod, the shaft or journal mounted on said carrier, the flexible tool-carrying shaft geared to the said shaft or journal, the sheavepulley on said shaft or journal, the guidepulleys, and means for supporting the same in theboiler-drum below the carrier, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

WILBER D. FORSYTH. ENOS T. BELL.

Witnesses:

A. FRASER LEGGATE, JOHN H. SHEOFER. 

